What is PEAK all about?

PEO is ready to roll out its new Practice Evaluation and Knowledge (PEAK) program this month, so we’re dedicating this issue to providing you with everything you need to know about this unique initiative. Starting on page 22, you’ll find out why the PEAK program is an essential tool for PEO to obtain an up-to-date regulatory profile of both practising and non-practising licence holders, and to provide the public with assurance that practising members are maintaining their qualifications. Currently, PEO has no way of knowing if members are keeping up to date after they obtain their licence.

Additionally, the PEAK program is designed to encourage individualized continuing knowledge development. PEO has spent the last three years creating a suitable program that is tailored to each practising licence holder’s environment, and leaves it up to them to find the continuing knowledge activities that are most relevant under the broadly interpreted technical opportunities that apply to the program.

In “What members want to know about PEAK,” we’re also sharing a selection of the most commonly asked questions PEO has received about the PEAK program.

The first step of the program is to declare if you are practising or not practising professional engineering. We know the distinction can sometimes be blurry. Many licence holders work in other professions, but in some cases they might still be carrying out acts that fall under the definition of engineering in the Professional Engineers Act. PEO’s director of policy and professional affairs, Bernard Ennis, P.Eng., outlines how you can determine if you are practising or not in the appropriately titled “Are you a practising professional engineer?” article on page 29.

This issue, we also include a summary of the annual engineering compensation survey, provided by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and Mercer Ltd. If you’re a member of OSPE, you have free access to the full report. If you’re not, this summary is the next best thing and a must-read for those who are, employ or work with female engineers.

You’ll also find that we’re bringing back our Profile column, which features professional engineers who work in various aspects of the profession and are doing amazing things—we thought you might want to know a little about what your fellow engineers are up to. In “Finding meaning (and customers and profits) in social media data,” PEO’s communications manager, Duff McCutcheon, profiles Ebrahim Bagheri, PhD, P.Eng., a Ryerson University professor who is creating cutting-edge software that has much potential. If you are or know someone who is deserving of this space in a future issue, don’t hesitate to share your suggestions: naxworthy@peo.on.ca.

Finally, our annual general meeting and Order of Honour gala are fast approaching. This year, we’ve been invited to Thunder Bay, Ontario for the events, and we hope you’ll join us (visit www.peo.on.ca to register). Look out for full coverage of the events in upcoming issues of Engineering Dimensions.